From zero expectations to champions: Brescia shocked everyone in Turin / News - Basketnews.com

Before the beginning of the Italian Cup, Germani Brescia were at the lowest point of their season. They arrived in Turin with zero expectations and little hope, but now they leave the city with their first major trophy in their history and newfound hope.

Credit: LBA SerieA Credit LBA SerieA

Only a week ago, if you predicted Germani Brescia as the most likely winner of the Italian Cup, you probably would have been told to rest a little bit.

Amedeo Della Valle

MIN:27.16PTS:15.79 (63.01%)REB:1.43As:4.64ST:0.79BL:0TO:1.79GM:14ProfileEuroCup2022/2023

The Italian EuroCup team arrived in Turin with many doubts surrounding the team. Brescia lost six games in a row in the Italian league and was in 12th position with a 7-12 record.

Only a few weeks ago, the owner of the team, Mauro Ferrari, stated that Alessandro Magro and Marco De Benedetto, coach and GM of the team, respectively, needed to take responsibility for the poor performances and for how the team was built.

"I don't want to fire anyone. Both of them will take responsibility for the consequences of their decisions at the end of the season. It is clear that the team has problems. Even athletically," Ferrari had said at the end of January.

In short, the atmosphere inside the team wasn't exactly the best. Of the eight teams in Turin, Brescia was probably, on paper, the team who was struggling the most.

But the most interesting aspect of the domestic cups is that there's always room for surprises, much more than in the domestic leagues. As the eight-seeded team, Brescia had the worst pairing possible in the quarterfinals and had to face Emporio Armani Milan, the no. 1 seed in the competition.

But since the beginning of the competition, coach Magro and his players looked extremely well prepared for what was about to happen. Brescia finished the first half against Milan with a 15-point lead.

In the second half, they resisted Milan's comeback and forced a couple of key turnovers down the stretch to secure a 75-72 win.

After the win, the team returned to Brescia to prepare better for the following game, a three-hour drive but a necessary one.

2-pointers this season

52%18,5Points made:18,5Accuracy:52,0%Place in standings:17Record max:28Record min:12Most made 2FGs:Tai OdiaseTeamEuroCupStatisticsSchedule

A key ingredient for Brescia was represented by the return of Italian/American swingman John Petrucelli. The former Ratiopharm Ulm guard missed multiple weeks of action due to an injury, and that's when Brescia's troubles began.

Petrucelli is a key piece in Magro's system, both offensively and defensively. His absence, combined with the one of Troy Caupain, who's still out, created many issues for the Italian side.

In the game against Milan, Petrucelli contributed with 11 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds, doing all the little things necessary.

On Saturday, Brescia got rid of Pallacanestro Pesaro in the semifinals pretty easily with the final score of 74-57.

Once again, Brescia displayed a great defensive effort and had an impressive run in the second quarter. Former NCAA alumn Amedeo Della Valle was the top scorer of the team with 15 points.

For the final game, Brfacedo face the other most anticipated team in the competition, EuroLeague side Virtus Bologna. The team coached by Sergio Scariolo had overcome without too many issues Reyer Venezia in the quarterfinals and Derthona Basket in the semifinals.

Despite the absences of Isaia Cordinier and Iffe Lundberg, Virtus was clearly the favorite to win the Italian Cup.

But Brescia played the part of the underdog throughout the tournament, and they had now settled into the role perfectly. Once again, Brescia got off to a strong start, limiting Virtus' offense very effectively and showing good ball circulation on offense.

Della Valle, who, until the final, had been more assist man than a scorer, put on a top-notch offensive performance, becoming a difficult puzzle for Virtus Bologna's defense to solve.

At the end of the first half, Brescia was already leading by 10 points. Virtus tried to make a comeback in the second half, and they got close, but in the end, Brescia pushed them back and secured a historic win for the club.

Last night was full of meaning for many reasons. For Brescia as a club, the Italian Cup is the first major trophy in their history.

The ownership has always wanted to bring the team among the best in Italy, but despite the good intentions, the last few years were filled with ups and downs.

It was also the first major trophy for head coach Alessandro Magro, who was nominated as the best head coach of the Italian league last season, and he's considered one of the best young coaches in Italy.

This victory also closes the circle for Brescia GM Marco De Benedetto. In 2018, De Benedetto won his first Italian Cup while working for Turin, and in the final game, they defeated Brescia.

Turin was also coming from a very difficult moment in the league, and that win in the cup was considered as an absolute surprise. Only a year after that victory, Turin disappeared from Italian basketball due to severe financial issues.

Guard Amedeo Della Valle was nominated MVP of the competition after finishing with 26 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds. Since he arrived in Brescia last season, Della Valle has shined. He was elected as MVP of the past regular season.

The game against Virtus Bologna was a particular one for him too. Last summer, Della Valle decided to opt out of the multi-year deal he had signed with Germani Brescia the previous season.

The Italian guard wanted to explore his options in the EuroLeague market, and for a while, he looked really close to joining Virtus Bologna. In the end, though, that deal didn't materialize, and Della Valle returned to Brescia, signing a new multi-year deal.

The Italian player looked extremely emotional after the game. He revealed that he lost a close friend only a month ago and dedicated the win to her.

"Around a month ago, a dear friend of mine passed away. She taught me a lot of things. This win is for her," Della Valle said after the game. "This win can change our season, it can give us a lot of confidence. Personally, I feel that this is the best moment of my career."

Brescia received a big boost also from its veterans during the cup. Christian Burns, 37, played a vital role.

He had 10 points in the quarterfinal against Milan, his former club, and 9 against Virtus Bologna in the final. In the Italian league, Burns averages less than 2 points per game.

The man who lifted the cup after the win was David Moss, the captain of Germani Brescia. Moss, who's 39, has been playing in Italy since 2007.

He was part of Montepaschi Siena from 2010 to 2013 and won three league titles and three Italian Cups with the club, although the Italian federation revoked two Italian league titles.

After spending a couple of years with Olimpia Milan (he also won an Italian league title there), Moss moved to Brescia in 2016 and has remained with the team since, becoming almost immediately the captain.

This Italian Cup might represent the perfect ending for his career if he decides to retire at the end of the season.

After the game, coach Alessandro Magro stressed the importance of this moment for Brescia.

"We arrived here after a very difficult moment. We were closer to the bottom of the standings than the playoff area. We received a lot of criticism, and I believe we deserved some of it," Magro commented.

"I think that this cup, for us, has two fundamental meanings: first of all, we beat the two strongest teams in the league, Milan and Bologna, and we did it with their main weapon, through the defense. The second thing is that, until now, Brescia had never won anything, so what we did tonight will remain in the history of this club."

Olimpia Milan and Virtus Bologna will still need to keep thinking about their issues for some time. The Italian Cup was supposed to be an opportunity to erase some negativity and add another trophy to their cabinets, but that didn't happen.

On the other hand, Brescia, who arrived with zero expectations and with many doubts surrounding them, will leave Turin with a newfound hope in their chances and with their first major trophy ever. Not bad for a weekend of work.

While leaving the city and looking at the Mole Antonelliana, the symbol of Turin, Brescia will have a strong belief that they can still turn things around this season. Others, won't have the same luck

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